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 The Oasis, below, is designed to offer autonomy without monotony; drivers should be fully engaged before taking back control from autonomous systems

More thanworking on the train!

The ability to work during a journey is often why many choose public transport over travelling by car. But as Andy Pye discovers, public transport may soon lose even this advantage to the onset of autonomous cars and their occupant interaction systems

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aking its debut in the Rinspeed Oasis concept car,Harman International has announced a suite designed tomake the autonomous driving experience

Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution) suite of technologies offers a glimpse at the future of autonomous driving and how advanced, holistic vehicle intelligence will play its part. The vision includes a series of systems that explores how the vehicle interacts with drivers and passengers – fromautonomous driving to re-engaging with drivers upon arrival at a destination. Using theHarman platform, Oasis offers

portable personalisation with the complete Microsoft Office suite and voice-controlled virtual assistant, enabling advanced in- vehicle productivity to performwork- related tasks. It also features full- windshieldHUD technology and high- resolution 3Dmaps, offering a future look at the user interface and how drivers and passengers can interact with their cars. Oasis is also highly connected, with IoT-

style integration that offers home-to-car transfers of preferences and a suite of connected services, such as car sharing, socialmedia integration, weather, parking and reservations, all supported by the Harman automotive cloud platform. State- of-the-art camera-based advanced driver assistance systemsmonitor, record and assess the surroundings of the vehicle to enhance safety features. Key technical features include:

 FullWindshieldHeads-UpDisplay:Oasis utilises the fullwindshield to project navigation prompts and other information to the driver,while simultaneously projecting entertainment or information to the passenger. AutonomousDrive Readiness Check – Handover toManual:One of themost critical concerns of autonomous vehicles is howto ensure the transition between non- manual andmanualmode is handled

seamlessly. It combines haptic feedback, eye gaze tracking and the driver’s cognitive load readiness through pupilmonitoring, to ensure that that the driver is truly engaged and able to safely take control of the steeringwheel. Augmented Reality Concierge: This addresses the need to support increased productivity in the carwhileminimising distraction. A voice-controlled virtual assistant functions as a concierge, automatically suggesting and displaying personalised points of interestwhile enabling advanced in-vehicle productivity. Through Skype connectivity, the system could even translate telephone conversations in real timewith colleagues speaking different languages. Predictive Collision Prevention: V2X (vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- infrastructure) technologies detect objects on a collision course and offer corrective action.  Intelligent E-Mirrors:Mirrors that are automatically activated/dimmed based on user gaze. “Harman believes autonomy should not

equalmonotony, and this vehicle offers an integrated cockpit and leading edge user interface that advancesmobility and connectivity while providing an unparalleled user experience,” says Phil Eyler, president,HARMAN Connected Car. “This results in a driving experience that ismore powerful, productive, personalised and protected than ever before.” EE